1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for supplying a uniform strip of bread dough. It relates particularly to a method and apparatus by which a strip of bread dough having a uniform width and thickness is supplied. It relates more particularly to a method and apparatus for supplying a strip of bread dough that is uniform in weight. By the method and apparatus of this invention bread or confectionery products of a high quality can be obtained.
2. Prior Art
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,902,524 and 4,883,417 disclose a method and apparatus for producing a strip of dough of substantially uniform dimensions in which a dough mass is divided into dough portions, each of the dough portions is weighed, the dough portions are arranged to be partly overlapped on a feed conveyor at intervals proportionate to the weights of the dough portions, they are stretched on the feed conveyor, and the width and thickness of a strip of stretched dough are regulated. In the prior art dough pieces obtained by dividing a dough mass flowing from the outlet of a dough hopper are of different weights, and after these dough pieces are stretched on the feed conveyor, and formed into a dough strip, the width of the strip is regulated by means of a pair of pressing boards at both sides of the feed conveyor to make the width of the strip of dough uniform. The dough pieces, however, do not have uniform weights, and have different widths. Therefore, the width of the strip of stretched dough is not uniform, unless it is regulated by means such as the pressing boards. In the prior art the dough-detecting device is not disposed. Therefore, the widths of dough pieces arranged on the conveyor at intervals proportionate to their weights are not uniform like dough pieces 2 arranged on a conveyor 4 in FIG. 5. This leads to the widths of the dough pieces not being uniform. Thus, the prior art attempted to resolve the lack of uniformity at both sides of the dough by means of the pressing boards, so as to make the widths of the dough pieces uniform. However, it has been difficult to adequately do so, because their ability to do so is limited.
If the width of the dough is made uniform by means of the pressing boards, the weight of some of the dough portions at both sides of the dough sheet increases. This results in dough products of an unstable quality. In other words, by merely measuring the weights of dough portions and proportionately arranging them, the width of a strip of dough could not be made uniform.